After a contested legislative battle, governor veto and eventual override, some changes to the Missouri conceal carry law were supposed to have gone into effect last Friday.The new legislation says that as of Oct. 14, residents would be able to apply for 10-year, 25-year and lifetime permits. Because of a hold up with the Missouri Sheriff’s Association, none of the departments in Missouri are ready to issue the long-term permits.Already in place is a provision for veterans who are serving out of state or overseas who have a permit that has expired can now renew without going through the training and application process from scratch.Then on Jan. 1, Constitutional Carry will be the law of the land allowing any resident allowed to own a gun to conceal carry without any background checks or weapons training.ChangesBecause of its complexities, sheriff departments all over the state are still reviewing the new legislation and will adhere to the new law, even though they may not agree with some of the new points.Many fear there are going to be people out there carrying weapons that are dangerous. Not just those with criminal backgrounds or mental health issues being allowed to carry will be a threat, but also those with no formal conceal carry training, or any knowledge or training of guns in general.Before the constitutional carry bill was originally vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon, he met with several sheriffs and other ranking law enforcement leaders from all over the state. PermitsThose departments issuing permits remind residents that even with the new law, conceal carry permits are still required to travel out of state.Only sheriff approved, five-year conceal carry permits are valid in states that allow reciprocity from other states.Those who have the lifetime permits and those who choose to Constitutional Carry can only carry within the state of Missouri. There are also misconceptions that there is no option for a permit anymore.A five-year Missouri permit is honored in 35 or 36 other states and a lot of people obtain the permits just for traveling outside Missouri.Since the new law allows residents to carry without a permit, law enforcement can’t tell people what they should or shouldn’t do. Residents are going to have to research this themselves and decide what the best option is for their particular situation.To obtain a five-year permit the same training, background check and eventual sheriff approval as before is required.There has been no word from the Sheriff’s Association as to when the software will be ready to administer the long-term permits and Toelke is sure there will be challenges to the Constitutional Carry next year, especially if there is an incident involving someone carrying a gun that should be restricted for criminal or mental health reasons.Law enforcement agencies warn anyone who is considering to carry a gun, whether constitutionally or with a permit, should make themselves aware of the legal issues surrounding conceal carry and should be aware of reciprocity of other states and the places they can and can’t carry.That information can be found at the Missouri Attorney General’s website www.ago.mo.gov.Firearm